The Wren

great place for breakfast, Loved everything I had!

Came here for brunch on a Sunday. It was pretty packed but we managed to get a table. Place is super cute and the food is very typical brunch food. I enjoyed my omlette a lot. Can’t go wrong with eggs, cheese and mushrooms!

I ate here last week and ordered fish and chips. Took one bite and my mouth was watering and burning from the taste of bleach. Tried the other piece, same thing. Never spat out food in my life before. Asked a chef friend who said rancid fish has the taste of ammonia. Safe to say I won’t be eating here again. Two stars for the nice hostess who apologized but they really should have comped the food or something more.

Took my wife here for brunch. Had the BLT and Cobb salad. For drinks we had French press and michaladas. Walking in we loved the space and ambience. The lighting was perfect for s brunch also. Dim lights and a nice chill atmosphere. The staff were prompt and attentive.
The food was really delicious. Loved the extra thick cut bacon on the BLT. Whole dab which was great. The salad was also really tasty. The Blue cheese and fried chicken and bacon vinaigrette were amazing!
The only complaint we had was that the salad was not properly wash (we think) as there was some gritty/​grainy bits that were like eating sand. They compd us on the salad which was very generous.
Overall this would have had a 5 were it not for that last one. Loved the place. Will def go back and recommend to others.

The Wren Breakfast Burger was DELICIOUS! But the Banana Foster Fritters were disappointing as they didn’t have much flavor.
Super cute atmosphere for a brunch with friends but drinks are slightly expensive for the size/​quality.
Nice place but nothing super special compelling me to return or recommend.

I’ve been to The Wren several times for drinks and it was always a solid, fun bar to hang in… until last night. I don’t know what was up but everything was off. The service was bad, and my $ 13 hot spiced apple cider cocktail was so gross to the point I had two sips and left it at the bar. My friend said her jalapeño-​infused cocktail wasn’t good either but she forced herself to guzzle it down because… no alcohol left behind.
Look, no business is perfect so maybe it was just a weird night here. My suggestion is come here and avoid the signature cocktails and keep it simple, or try their brunch which I hear is quite good.

The Wren is such a great bar to know. It’s the kind of place where you can take an old friend, a first date, a bunch of new friends, and everyone in between.
The ambiance is definitely lower-​Manhattan *cool* and romantic without being pretentious. It can get pretty packed, but you can nail down a table if you’ve got the patience and predatory city attitude.
I’ve tried a bunch of cocktails — you honestly can’t go wrong with any of them. The bartenders clearly know what they’re doing.
I was a bit disappointed by the cheese plate, though. Perhaps I’ve just become a cheese snob thanks to Murray’s and Beecher’s, but I felt the selection was lacking.
Still, a sweet bar and fun place for whatever occasion!

The Wren is a great spot for drinks any day of the week. I came here with some co-​workers on a Wednesday and we were lucky to get a table towards the back. I can see how this place would get really busy on a weekend as it’s pretty popular.
I had The 7^th which perfectly balanced vodka, St. Germain and grapefruit. I also tried the Bleeding Heart and their French 75, both of which were great. Their drink menu is extensive so should be able to cater to any palette as well. The ambiance is lively and cozy, which creates for a great evening. The décor is quite homey and rustic, with wooden tables and strung lights. The service is also attentive and helpful. I look forward to stopping by The Wren again (and next time, hopefully for brunch!)

This is a beautiful spot for a drink, before it gets crowded at least. I went here for a friend’s birthday on a Tuesday night; it was practically empty around 6pm, and completely full by 8pm. The space is cozy, rustic, and perfect for that one friend who instagrams everything (aka me).
In addition to a great cocktail menu, The Wren serves a ton of great wine, beer, and cider options. They must have 4 or 5 different ciders which, as a non-​beer drinker, I really enjoy. They even had Downeast on tap, which made my night; I usually only find that in cans.
No happy hour and prices are typical for the NoHo area. I unfortunately didn’t try any food, but my friends ordered an awesome looking burger. I’d definitely return for drinks after work again or brunch on the weekend.

2 stars for my brunch experience, sadly.
+ rustic décor with a very warm cozy feel (yet spacious seating)
+ no lines or wait time to get a table
— bubble and squeak didn’t exactly hit my palette (odd flavors, can’t put my finger on it)
— overpriced and small glasses of orange and grapefruit juice
— very slow service (hard to get waitress’ attention)

I highly recommend The Wren for a Sunday brunch. My friend and I shared fries, a 3-​cup french press, bulgar wheat pancakes, and avocado toast sans soft boiled eggs. Everything was so delicious and surprisingly, not heavy at all. The food is simple and unpretentious.
The atmosphere is very cozy and the interior space is so beautiful.
I’ll definitely be back.

Their weekend brunch is definitely one of the hidden gems of the Noho/​East Village area. Two friends and I had no wait when we went on a Saturday at noon. The décor is super cozy and homey inside with comfortable seating so you’re not all up next to neighboring tables. The service was great and the staff was friendly and welcoming, smiles all around. I also liked that because it’s not as crowded as other brunch spots in the area, you can take your time with chatting and eating without getting angsty side eye from the staff. The menu is very diverse and sure to cater to everyone.
I ordered the kale and mushroom salad and my friends ordered the potato rosti/​smoked trout/​eggs and the bubble & squeak, with a 3 cup french press to share. Their cups are so cute and I love that they bring you the the actual french press so you can press the coffee on your own. My friends enjoyed their dishes, especially the potato rosti and the croquette. However, the trout was a bit on the saltier side and the sausage in the bubbly & squeak was mediocre and both weren’t huge fans of the frisee salads that came with their plates. I’m not really a salad person either but the kale and mushroom salad I ordered was probably one of the best salads I’ve ever had. The kale was fresh and not bitter and the shiitake, thick-​cut bacon, and egg complemented the dressing and kale really well. Very generous portion too — the salad felt like it was never ending.
I would definitely recommend this spot, especially those who want a good European-​style meal while catching up with friends.

Delicious food and amazing bloody marys.
Sat at the bar for brunch and had pretty good conversation/​service with the bartender while eating with my pal. I know that the avo toast is listed as a smaller item, but it’s definitely fit as a meal for one.

Super cute place in Noho. Perfect for brunch. We didn’t have to wait too long for a table around noon on a Sunday. Hostess was friendly although when I had called I’m pretty sure I was hung up on. :P The tables are a bit close together so expect to hear everything your neighbors are saying. Service is a bit NY if that makes any sense.
I would definitely recommend the brunch burger. Hubs had it and it was very good. Granola was yummy for what it’s worth lol. Got it for our son, not the kid friendliest place but they were nice about it. I got the bubble and squeak and I wish I could say I liked it more. I just wasn’t a fan of certain flavors. The sausage has a strong herb taste. The potato thing was not my favorite nor the onion. I got a yummy bloody mary kind of drink. I liked it a lot but can’t remember the name.

Now as I encounter & enter my third decade of life, I’m finding that places with 30+ crowds are fun & have so much less drama than the places with the college kids, the newly post-​undergrad babes, & the new to NYC peeps. Nothing against them, just less drama.
This place is one of those fun, drama-​free places. At least in my experience.
Great cocktails live here, you know? I came here with friends for a Sweater Party. Turns out our sweater party night was many other people’s sweater party nights as well.
Of course, I met many other people in the bar that were cool too. No one was extremely inebriated, which was really good & people weren’t cliqued the hell up. It was nice.
Now, a young one was spotted & tried to cause drama because the place was packed. Yeah, everywhere is packed in the city on a weekend night… She was not met with resistance, but rather with a ‘I couldn’t care less’ attitude from the guy she confronted, who didn’t do anything wrong but encounter an inadequately amped up chick.
Like, chill. It’s not that serious.
A good night had by all. Please go try this place for the cocktails and for the old & new camaraderie.

I found myself here a few times escaping the cold of the day warming up with whiskey. It was a success! A fun little bar I snuck into, though they have quite the crowd during happy hour. The staff and service was fantastic during all my visits on this trip. Definitely a great spot away from all the tourist!
Cheers!

Really beautiful spot to grab a cocktail, but beware of Thursday-​Saturday nights, the bar becomes 6-​person deep and you find yourself invading your conversation partner’s personal space and wafting peanut-​breath everywhere.
Thumbs up to «The 7^th» cocktail (a spiked version of a standard grapefruit juice), the autumn burrata with pomegranate seeds, and the preserved lemon roasted chicken. The butternut squash purée underneath the chicken was strangely sour (maybe too much lemon? The meat was a good balance of acidic flavors though), but I thought the Wren knocked it out of the park with the roasted Brussels sprouts and dried cranberries.
The flavor of the Brussels sprouts harkened back to a childhood memory, and I couldn’t remember for the life of me what exactly that taste was, until I came back home and began rifling through my kitchen cabinets — it’s the exact same flavor as certain chicken– or shrimp-​flavoring packets from those 99 cent bags of instant ramen. I’m sure the Wren uses more, er, high-​brow seasoning, but it packed the same, garlicky punch.
To anyone who had the same question I did and then had to look it up: WC is Water Closet from ye old British days.
NEXT TIME: The Bubble and Squeak and the Full Irish off their brunch menu

Woke up one day and decided to grab brunch with the friends. Where do we go?! Unilocal to the rescue! We knew exactly what we wanted. Brunch but without the extremly long lines and long waits. And wren was the perfect answer to that.
It’s a very cozy, cute, inconspicuous place. As you walk in, there’s a bar and a few tables and seats. It’s very very dark and first impression is ‘that’s it?’.
But then as you follow the waitress inside, turns out there’s a whole other portion of the restaurant that is completely lit up and where all the brunchers sit.
Their menu is limited, but that just makes it easy to choose what you want. I ordered the bubble and squeak and would have to say I was quite pleased. It’s a «British styled breakfast» and I had to Google half the things on the menu or look at recommendations from other Unilocalers. The bubble and squeak comes with sausage, egg, salad and this crab croquette. What I like most was that the meal was an «edible» size and not like those massive portions you get at other brunch places. You don’t feel as guilty after you’ve cleaned up your plate.

Sir Christopher Michael Wren was an acclaimed English architect which this brunch bar honors the man and his work. A quaint small brunch bar with rustic wooden tables and restroom facilities are labeled «WC» for water closet in true English flair. Tables are rather small and seats are bumped elbow to elbow. My party of two came here to unwind after a hard week. No alcohol libations for either of us.
For Him:
The Wren Burger $ 17.50 with Fries and McClures Pickles
For Her:
Fig Prosciutto salad $ 13.00 with Mizuna greens, Feta cheese, pickled watermelon radish, very stale croutons topped with a very light Yuzu dressing. I am not a fan of fig but the actual greens, Feta cheese were very good and not overpowering the greens. The Prosciutto was rather salty.
Note: Boisterously loud! Very hipster. I had to scream loudly to speak with my friend– not conducive for conversation as it is inaudible. The Wren does have an extensive cocktail selection, but no Pimms despite of an English bar. However, the English/​Irish brunch staple of Full Irish Breakfast is certainly available on the brunch menu.

Purely a drinks review, but this place was great!
I came here late-​ish on a Sunday evening with my boyfriend just for a drink. Now, why 5 stars? First of all, our waiter (short-​haired chick with glasses) was unbelievably sweet, professional, accommodating, and on point. She was always there when we needed her and never when we didn’t.
As for drinks, I got a grapefruit shandy, that was perfectly balanced between tart/​boozey/​sweet, and he got their old-​fashioned, which was the best I’ve honestly ever had– the punt e mes vermouth flavor really comes through. After craving a good cocktail, I was so happy we landed here.
We sat happily by the window and let the breeze (and cigarette smoke, but oh well) hit us on their cozy little table. Ambience was fun, think cute and quirky country-​type decorations and rustic, wooden furniture. The music was kind of loud, and the crowd is a very confusing mix, but it all seemed to work.
Two thumbs up!